Courtesy of PasteMagazne.com and the Los Angeles Times, here’s a list of the top 10 Baseball Songs (That Aren’t John Fogerty’s “Centerfield.”) ever written.
What do you think? I don’t remember hearing their top choice. I guess I’d have to go with the Steve Goodman song, which is No. 5 on this list. If you haven’t heard it, check it out here on YouTube.
And Eddie Vedder’s “All the Way” — a tribute to the Cubs, certainly deserves a spot on this list.
No.1 “The Ballad of Russell Perry” by Vigilantes of Love: “Bill
Mallonees heartfelt tale of a wily, navel-gazing Tennessee fast
baller,” says the magazine.
No. 2: “Baseball Dreams” by The Naturals with Mel Allen: “The
Run-DMC of baseball music,” says the magazine.
No. 3: “Catfish” by Bob Dylan: “His Bob-ness waxes country-blues
poetic on A’s pitcher Jim Catfish Hunter.”
No. 4: “Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball?” by Natalie
Cole: “An ode to the man who broke Major League baseball’s color
barrier.”
No. 5: “A Dying Cub Fans Last Request” by Steve Goodman: “The most
perfect, heartbreaking baseball song ever written.”
No. 6: “(Love is Like a) Baseball Game” by The Intruders: “A
curveball from Philly-soul producers Gamble & Huff.”
No. 7: “Pete Rose Affinity” by Summer Hymns: “A classic tale of
childhood autograph-seeking gone awry.”
No. 8: “Say Hey (The Willie Mays Song)” by The Treniers: “Mays
actually sings backup on this big-band romp, while Quincy Jones
conducts.”
No. 9: “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” by The Hold Steady: “No one
rocks this 7th-inning-stretch tradition like Craig Finn and
co.”
No. 10: “Tessie” by Dropkick Murphys: “A punked-out shout-out to
Boston’s famed Royal Rooters.”
Two more: “Cheap Seats” by Alabama, an ode to minor league baseball (“…but at least we’re triple-A”); and “Home Run” by Geoff Moore and the Distance.
“Dying Cubs Fan’s Last Request” is hilarious and yes, heartbreaking, as the one-of-a-kind Goodman was near the end of a long battle with leukemia when he wrote it. He had an irrepressible spirit.
The structure of the song is based on the Blind Willie McTell classic “Dying Crapshooter’s Blues,” which can be heard here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gqIVHoL0xQ&feature=related